Ukraine’s former Supreme Court chief, Vselovod Kniaziev, has been jailed over a major bribery case after agreeing to a plea deal that imprisons him for five years, while stripping him of key assets and turning him into a central witness against accomplices. The High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement between a prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutors Office (SAPO) and Kniaziev on Monday, after the defendant’s initial exposure in May 2023.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. The former head of the Supreme Court was found guilty of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, representing one of the most high-profile convictions in Ukraine’s corruption cases. The sentence combines prison time with sweeping financial penalties. According to SAPO, his punishment includes being imprisoned for five years with disqualification from holding positions in judicial and law-enforcement bodies for three years, along with confiscation of his apartment and a house. More than $200,000 in personal savings have also been confiscated, with a special confiscation of around $1.25 million in bribe proceeds. “In addition, by agreement of the parties,” the former head of the Supreme Court will also transfer around $1.1 million to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine via the “Come Back Alive” Foundation. Altogether, the state and the military stand to receive more than HR.113 million (about $2.55 million) that, prosecutors note, can be converted into weapons, drones, or social payments in times of need.